Dolphy was proud to be OFW in Hong Kong in 1940s

Dolphy was proud to have been one of the first OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) in Hong Kong in the 1940s, having been a young dancer and errand boy there, struggling like the masses of Filipinos who later adored him. Dolphy, born Rodolfo Quizon Sr. in Tondo, Manila on July 25, 1928, passed away at age 83 on Tuesday at 8:34 p.m. in Makati due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dolphy was rushed to the intensive care unit of the Makati Medical Center on June 9, after complaining of difficulty in breathing. He also suffered from pneumonia and kidney ailments. In an interview with GMA News in 2009, Dolphy recalled how, at just over 20 years old, he worked as a dancer in Hong Kong in the late 1940s. When not on stage or the dance floor, he was also an errand boy. "Nagsasayaw lang ako, may boss din akong nagdala sa akin, errand boy din ako and at the same time nagsasayaw din ako," he recalled. "Unang dating ako, nakikisama ako at gusto kong matuto, ako ang pinaka-errand boy ng pinakaboss ko. Tsaka, marunong-runong ako ng English," he said. He said his attitude of being "mabilis at masipag," was probably the reason why was entrusted to run errands for his boss. In a concert in Hong Kong in 2009, Dolphy introduced himself as an OFW and told the audience, "Alam nyo ba 1950 pa lang, nagtatrabaho na ko dito.." Advice for OFWs: Don't gamble Dolphy encouraged OFWs to protect their hard-earned money. "Dapat ingatan nyo, kung nagsusugal, huwag kayong magsusugal. Yan ang unang-unang iwasan yang sugal... Daig lahat ng sugal," Dolphy said. He added: "Be practical." "Kain ka nang kain sa labas, bumili ka na lang ng naka-stock sa bahay. Kasi kami ganoon eh. Meron akong loaf of bread," he said. He even recalled how much the Philippine peso fared against the Hong Kong dollar. "Ang pera natin mas mahalaga kaysa sa pera nila. Natatandaan ko ang one peso is two dollar and eighty cents. Ang value -- 2 is to 2, or 3 is to 1 ang pera natin." He said "masarap ang buhay at mura ang bilihin noon." After his stint as an OFW in Hong Kong, Dolphy became one of the most popular actors in the Philippine movie and television industry, having starred in over 200 movies, including the hit TV sitcom "John en Marsha" where he played the role of John Purontong. Dolphy was born in Tondo, Manila to Melencio Espinosa-Quizon, a ship mechanic, and Salud Vera Quizon. The Comedy King was the eldest of 10 children that included Corazon, Josefina (Josie), Melencio Jr. "Junior," Laura, Aurora (Auring), Jorge (Georgie), Jaime (Jimmy), Teresita and Jaime. Dolphy had 18 children from six different women: six children with Grace Dominguez, four with Gloria Smith, four with Baby Smith, one with Vangie Tagulao, one with actress Alma Moreno, and two (one was adopted) with singer Zsa Zsa Padilla. Dolphy never married any of the six women he was with. — VVP/HS, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more